200 horsepower expected from 2008/9 V-MAX MkII

Can you believe it’s been 23 years since the Yamaha V-MAX first exploded onto the scene? And can you believe that apart from a fairly minor upgrade in 1993, they’re still selling in pretty much the same trim as they did when Wham’s ‘Careless Whisper’ was topping the charts? The famous V-4 muscle cruiser punched its way into a very special corner of our hearts with its obscene power, heart-stopping “V-boost” and widowmaking reputation; 110 horsepower was all well and good for striking fear into the hearts of dragstrip opponents, but the suspension and brakes are still notorious for punishing the unwary.

Such a bike deserves a fine successor, and Yamaha has been steadily toiling away to put together a modern-day V-MAX worthy of the name. If 110 rear wheel horsepower was enough to mortify the mainstream back in the eighties, it just won’t cut it in this day and age. So we understand that Yamaha is going for an eye-watering 200 rear-wheel horsepower from the V-MAX we expect to see on sale late this year or early in 2009.

They won’t be friendly ponies either; anything with the V-MAX name on it will be designed to scare the hairs off the (ahem) chests of the manliest men. Bitumen will be liquefied through a fat 200-section rear tyre (which might last all day if you’re lucky) and the air scoops either side of the new model’s updated engine won’t be fakes like they are on the original.

The styling, final power figure and emissions implications seem to be the only things holding up production of the modern-day murdercycle at this point; our photos are from Tokyo and show a model from which Yamaha is still seeking feedback. Reportedly, most of the feedback goes along the lines of “we want more than 200 horsepower please,” and from all accounts the message is coming through loud and clear at the factory.

Chassis-wise, the 2008/9 V-MAX will presumably be much better equipped to stop and turn than its predecessors, although this seems largely beside the point. I can’t wait to ride it when it drops; what will we be able to compare it to? The big Suzuki M109? The B-King? It’ll sure make the MT-01 look like a bauble. Bring it on!